In the Afterlife
by luckyaikou
Summary: Atem and Akefia have a sordid past, but how do Yami and Bakura handle it now? Shounenai.


A/N: As much as I hate 4Kids dubbing Atem as 'Yami,' once you bring in the later seasons with all three versions of Yugi and Ryou running around, it gets complicated to NOT call him Yami. So. Here you go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

He was naked, and the cool night air of the Egyptian desert should have been freezing him were it not for the heated body on top of him. The silver-haired, bronzed beauty was leaving red love bites and steamy trails of kisses across the Pharaoh's body. The Pharaoh let out soft grunts that encouraged his enemy and lover.

The scarred man moved his head up to the Pharaoh's neck, allowing him a gut-wrenching flash of his blood-red eyes.

"Long live the king."

Yami shot up in his bed, gasping and coated in sweat. He had been dreaming, one he had often now that he had his memories and his body back. The strongest memory he seemed to have involved his torrid love affair with the thief king who spent most of his time, in Egypt and after, trying to kill the Pharaoh. He idly wondered if Akefia had these dreams as well, if he thought of the royalty at night with tiny Ryou in his arms.

Yami looked down at the boy at his side, still asleep. Yugi: his hikari, his light, his host; his lover and his angel. Yami's heart ached at the sight of such an innocent soul, and pushed out the thoughts of the silver-haired demon and went back to encasing Yugi in his hold, drifting back to sleep.

Bakura parked his car outside the Game Shop, glaring at the heavy rain. He tried running but still managed to get drenched as Yami opened the door and let him in.

"Ryou and Yugi aren't back from the movies yet," Yami said quietly, trying not to stare at the skin-tight clothes of the other.

Bakura watched Yami squirm uncomfortably and moved closer, causing Yami to flush red.

"If my dreams serve to be correct, it used to be much harder to make you blush, Atem," Bakura murmured, skimming his thumb across Yami's jaw.

Yami froze, taken aback by the affectionate and revealing nature of what Bakura had said and done.

"So you remember it too?" Yami asked lowly.

"I never forgot, my king."

Yami processed the words and a dark glare settled in his blood-red gaze, almost pulling him out of his past lust. "And yet you continued to try to kill me, endanger both of our hikaris and treat everyone around you like an enemy in the quest of sating your hunt for blood and gold?"

Bakura heard Atem in those words; it was the most like the Pharaoh he had been since returning. "What else was I supposed to do, Pharaoh, while we were condemned to this life we didn't belong in! Only your soul could have freed us and you conveniently didn't remember, so I did what I had to for us to go home," Bakura shouted.

"Then why are we back?"

Bakura stopped, shifting slightly. "Things became more complicated. Our displaced souls changed our hikaris in a way that they couldn't go back from. That's why we were refused at the gate of the afterlife."

"You love Ryou," Yami asked, but it wasn't a question.

"As you do Yugi."

"So why are we doing this?" Yami asked, his anger breaking and his vulnerability showing. "Why do I dream of Egypt and a double life with Yugi at my side?"

"Because I made you promise me you'd find me in our after life, no matter how different our souls may be. This is where we are to stay, and this is where we aren't allowed to be together."

Yami's heart was pounding, Atem's same bloody state drinking in Bakura's words and face. He felt his throat constrict when he started to speak. "Bakura! I-"

He never got to finish his sentence, as the door opened and Ryou and Yugi walked in, chatting happily and miraculously dry.

"Oh! Hey guys! Sorry, did we keep you waiting?" Yugi asked with a smile.

"No, Aibou," Yami said, trying to dispel the previous tension between him and Bakura.

"Everything okay Kura?" Ryou asked, blinking his big brown eyes.

Bakura moved to walk around Yami, his hand passing by him like he hadn't touched Yami at all, but Yami's arm was on fire from the gentle caress the thief had trailed down his arm.

"Of course, little one," Bakura grinned as he reached Ryou and draped his arm around his shoulder. "Now tell pipsqueak and Prince Red Eyes good bye before the rain gets worse."

Ryou smiled and did as he was told, saying good bye to a laughing Yugi and oddly silent Yami. Bakura led the smaller boy out with a dark sideways glance toward the Pharaoh, missed by both hikaris.

"Did Bakura say something Yami? What's wrong" Yugi asked, blinking up at him.

Yami was yanked out of his haze by Yugi's gentle call, and he worked to produce a mostly painless smile.

"No, nothing's wrong, Aibou. Bakura's just having a hard time… adjusting." He paused before adding, "He misses how things were in Egypt."

"Well that's not surprising, I'm sure hardly anything today makes sense to either or you. Nothing is the same."

Yami nodded sullenly at how true his light's words were. Then, soft, warm hands were directing his restless gaze down to Yugi's worried purple eyes.

"How are you adjusting, Yami?"

Yami smiled and wrapped his arms around Yugi tightly, squeezing the small boy for all his worth. He sighed in relief as Yugi's small hands clung to his back.

Yami closed his eyes, noticing how Yugi's touch didn't ignite his skin like Bakura's did.

"I'm fine, Yugi."


End file.
